1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a table cutting machine adapted to move a cutting machine body provided with, for example, a round grind stone or a rotary blade such as saw tooth downward for carrying out a cutting operation or the like to a cut material fixed on a table.
2. Description of the Related Art
This type of cutting machine includes a table supporting a cutting material thereon and a cutting machine body vertically movably supported on the table. The cutting machine body includes an electric motor as a drive source and also includes a circular rotary blade rotatably driven by the motor. In order to perform a cutting operation, an operator fixes the cutting material onto the tale and downwardly moves the cutting machine body while the rotary blade rotates, so that the rotating rotary blade cuts into the cutting material.
In order to enable various modes of cutting operations, various improvements have been made to the cutting machine. One improvement is to enable the cutting machine body to tilt leftward or rightward as viewed from the side of the operator, so that it is possible to perform an inclined cutting operation in which a cutting direction of the rotary blade into the cutting material is inclined as viewed from the front side. In general, in order to enable the inclined cutting operation, a body support member supporting the cutting machine body on the table has a fixed-side support member on the side of the table and a pivotable-side support member on the side of the cutting machine body, which is rotatably connected by a pivotal shaft. A fixing screw extends between the fixed-side support member and the pivotable-side support member and can fix the inclined position of the cutting machine body as it is tightened. A fixing lever is mounted to a head of the fixing screw and is operable to pivot by the operator. In the know cutting machine, the fixing lever is positioned on the rear side of the body support member away from the operator. Therefore, in order to hold the fixing lever, it is necessary for the operator to extend his or her hand to the fixing lever.
In general as a fixing lever, a single-lever type fixing lever having one grip portion is used as disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 8-332605 (U.S. Pat. No. 3,277,307) and No. 2004-330618. In order to improve the operability, there has been proposed a triple-lever type fixing lever having three grip portions arranged at intervals of an angle of 120°.
In the case of the single-lever type fixing lever, it is difficult for the operator to look at the grip portion, because the grip portion is hidden on the rear side of the body support member. Therefore, it is necessary for the operator to feel for the fixing lever for operating it. In addition, the hand of the operator, who is a right-handed person or a left-handed person, is difficult to reach the fixing lever.
In the case of the triple-type fixing lever, there is a possibility that the fixing lever becomes difficult to be operated when the lowest one of the grip portions contacts the floor or the ground on which the cutting machine is installed. In order to avoid this problem, it is necessary to set the lengths of the grip portions to be small, resulting in lowering the operability of the fixing lever.
Thus, there is a need in the art for a configuration in which a fixing lever for fixing the inclined position of a cutting machine body can have a length capable of being easily held by an operator and can be operated by the operator who takes a comfortable position.